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Superman Renounces His American Citizenship
Hugh Pickens writes writes "The Atlantic Wire reports that Superman — Kal-El, the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton — renounces his American citizenship in the latest issue of Action Comics. The moment everyone's talking about comes in a story called 'The Incident,' where Superman wants to fly to Tehran and offer moral support to Iranians protesting an oppressive regime but he's told that Iran will take it as an act of war. Superman decides to get out in front of the problem. 'I intend to speak before the United Nations tomorrow and inform them that I am renouncing my U.S. citizenship,' he tells the president's national security adviser. 'I'm tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy.' While some conservative commentators opine that Superman just wants to get out of paying criminally high taxes to a certain merciless Democratic president, Scott Thills concludes that 'the genius of Superman is that he belongs to everyone, for the dual purposes of peace and protection. He's above ephemeral geopolitics and nationalist concerns, a universal agent unlike any other found in pop culture.'"
Hey, it's been nice he's called himself an American for so long, but considering he's not even from Earth, this was just a nicety, right?
Where's the Fortress of Solitude located anyway?
http://hijinksensue.com/2011/04/04/not-my-hero/
I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.
Why is there even a problem in Iran in the Superman universe? Why is a world in which super-beings exist so like the real world? Shouldn't things be radically different if super heroes have been inhabiting the earth for decades (centuries?) now? Why should I be so interested in a fantasy world if it's just going to turn out like the real one anyway?
I'm not saying that there can't be unrest in Iran in a parallel universe. Or that Superman would have somehow solved that issue already. I'm just saying that in a radically different world, shouldn't the specific issue being dealt with be radically different too? I could see protesters in Iran coming to a head with the government much sooner in a world with Superman. Or even much later if there was a preemptive backlash against superheroes in Iran that lead to a more restrictive situation where protesters weren't allowed at all.
We always knew Comcast was corrupt, here's the proof: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1909890&cid=34545432
This was a pre-emptive publicity move on Superman's part because he is unwilling to supply his long-form birth certificate. I have people in Kansas who have been studying it, and they cannot believe what they are finding. Personally, I don't believe he was even born in the United States, and there is no record of Superman ever applying for citizenship.
Nothing of value was lost.
Why is there even a problem in Iran in the Superman universe?
Because good fiction is used as a commentary on the real society. You can't really be a stickler for the laws of physics and read superhero books. At least until they introduce zero-point-field organelles.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Marvel tried this with the New Universe imprint, 1986-1989. It was unpopular and canceled pretty quickly. We might theorize that the further removed the fantasy world is from the real-world, the harder it is for readers to immerse themselves in it.
"One of the founding ideas of the New Universe was that the existence of paranormals would have real and lasting consequences... Despite all of this, sales were poor and the imprint was abruptly discontinued in late 1989 after a total of 174 comics had been published."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Universe
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
I loved the 'What if..." series from Marvel. Thusly, I was stoked to see someone ask what Superman would be like if he grew up on the 'other side' of the nationalist fence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Red_Son
But I understand what the parent is trying to say... why doesn't the world in the comics look radically different than this one? The comic world has an invincible 'protector' that's proven many times that he (Superman) knows no real political allegiance. Since countries won't be fighting each other as much, they don't have to break the national bank on weapons of war, anymore. Then they won't have other justifications of making WMDs, like 'they might need to deflect a killer asteroid' (a task barely worth the mighty Superman). And since everyone knows that Superman exists and the once-impossible is now possible, a horde of demons coming out of a rift in subspace isn't as surprising as it would be to us (in the non-comic world). It's possible to conclude Superman would send any demonic forms back into the hole they came out of, saving the world again. At some point, I'd think that world governments would have become a little more altruistic and ended military occupations, the war of poverty, the drug war, and other perversions of control. Why aren't all the comic world's countries creating the 0-energy utopia with amazing educational institutions? Ah, riiiight... not too much good storytelling in a world filled with mostly good news. Honestly, someone could form a thesis on this subject for their PhD.